Seasons
by crm52513
Summary: It seemed to her that life was good. She had a warm home, a loving new family, and a growing love for her best friend. All of that changed when SHE moved in. Will summer ever return, or is she doomed to live in an eternal winter.
1. Chapter 1

She watched him from afar and knew that he wouldn't take much notice of her; not with Tomoe around. Demure, beautiful, charming, kind, sophisticated, and everything a woman of class was supposed to be…that's what Tomoe was. She didn't hate the other woman. How could she? She was everything he needed and he was happy. It was obvious that he was happier when she was near him. That's what was important, right? Why then did she feel a huge hole in her chest when he walked by her? If his happiness made her happy, then why did she feel like crying when he held Tomoe's hand?

It wasn't long after he came into town that Kenshin met Kaoru. After saving her from that bully Gohei, they became instant friends; nearly inseparable. She had been alone for so long that she had forgotten what it was like to have friends. The time spent with him helped to heal the pain she had felt during the long years after her father's death. She felt like a whole person again. With time, her circle of friends grew and eventually became the family that she had always longed for. After a couple of years, and many wild adventures, she grew to care for the man deeply. However, just as autumn eventually becomes winter, their friendship became cold with the coming of a new member of the village.

"Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!" she said while trying to pick up her small bag of groceries off of his feet.

"Maa maa…this one is fine, that he is. No need to worry," he replied.

When she stood up, he nearly froze. She was strikingly beautiful. As the woman introduced herself to Kaoru, Kenshin could do nothing but stare. When she walked away, food in hand, Kaoru had to nudge her friend into reality. "Um, Kenshin? You ok?" she asked. Later on, she would recognize that as the beginning of her pain. He shook his head to regain some composer and laughed off the slight lapse of mental function as the last rays of summer heat messing with his mind. In her heart she knew it was more than that. What exactly did he see in this new neighbor who said her name was Tomoe?

Eventually, as time tends to do, summer became fall and fall became winter and with the winter came new heartbreak for Kaoru. The people who had become her best friends, her family, slowly grew apart. Megumi went back to Aizu. Sano traveled the world. Yahiko's lessons continued, but grew less often as he started working in the Akabeko more. Misao's duties in Kyoto became so heavy she stopped writing. Eventually, the large dojo that always greeted her with a warm and friendly face held nothing but silence. However, nothing hurt her bruised heart more than when Kenshin decided to spend his every waking moment with _her._

Eventually, he stopped doing her laundry, not that she really wanted him to wash her dirty clothes. She knew that he still cared about her, but with every passing day, he spoke to her less and less. One afternoon, while bent over the wash basin scrubbing a kimono, she lost balance and tipped the bucket over; getting dirt (now turned into mud) all over the recently clean cloth. When she noticed she was crying, she tried to brush it off as being upset at having to start over. Deep down though, she knew it wasn't the truth.


	2. Chapter 2

I got my first review! I feel so giddy inside! Ok, so I'm not a Tomoe hater (as this chapter probably proved). I'm still trying to decide how I want to continue the story. I have a few directions in mind, but I'm not 100% certain and I would love to hear your thoughts.

**Disclaimer:** I don't own the characters. Wish I did, sadly I don't.

They say that old habits die hard. Tomoe wished she could say that wasn't true; that Enishi was able to move on from the life he once lived and start anew. Was that not the reason they left China to begin with? With the promise of a fresh start in a new country, away from the old influences of evil people, how could she not resist the temptation to relocate herself and her younger brother to somewhere where no one knew their names?

Once all the moving in was completed, she decided to head toward the market to buy ingredients for dinner. Her brother, having carried the bulk of their bags into their new home, felt his time better spent taking a nap. On her way, she thought to herself, _It's good that he is being so relaxed. I haven't seen him this calm in years. _Living the life of a yakuza tended to wear on one's nerves. Having bought everything she needed, Tomoe turned to go home when the bag containing her groceries fell from her hands and onto the foot of a man in front of her. Giving her apologies to the man, she bent to retrieve her food. She thought to herself, _I've only been here a few days and I'm already screwing up!_ When she rose to look at the man, she didn't see an angry face. In fact, it was downright handsome! She assumed the woman next to him was his wife so she politely introduced herself.

"My apologies, I guess I wasn't watching where I was going. My name is Yukishiro Tomoe," she said.

"He seems to be fine, no harm done. It's a pleasure to meet you Yukishiro-san. I'm Kamiya Kaoru and this is my friend Himura Kenshin."

_Friend? Why would such a beautiful man travel with this woman and only be her friend?_ It occurred to her while she walked home that, since she came to Japan to start a new life, she could use a new friend or two. Perhaps this Himura Kenshin had room in his life for one more.

Six months had passed since her chance meeting with Kenshin and her life had never been the same. He came to visit her nearly every day now and he was always so kind to her. She thoroughly enjoyed spending time with the red-head. Yet, she couldn't get the vision of the other woman out of her mind. What was her name? Kiri? Kota? Whatever her name was, Kenshin rarely spoke of her. He always devoted his time purely to her, and she loved him for it. She told him about their life in China and how they ran to Japan to start over; how all she wanted to do was live free of the fear that came with being involved with gangsters. Enishi on the other hand… "Why do you have to be here so much?! Don't you have your own house to go to?" It was obvious he didn't like Kenshin. Enishi would disappear whenever he would come to spend time with Tomoe. She didn't know where he would go off to, but as long as he stayed out of trouble, she really didn't mind.

One cold and snowy day, Kenshin came to visit her as usual. They sat bundled up outside on the front steps talking and just enjoying each other's company when Enishi came back from one of his ritual escapades. Upon seeing them, his already bad mood went south. "What is he doing here?!" he screamed. Normally Tomoe's brother irritated Kenshin with his constant bickering, but he didn't stoop so low as to shout back at him. "This one came to visit and keep Tomoe-dono company, that I did," was his calm response. That only fueled the fire.

"She doesn't need you to keep her company, she has me!" Enishi shouted.

"Do you not have duties that keep you from home? It is not good for Tomoe-dono to be alone, that it isn't."

"If you weren't around so often, I would stay!"

"This one doesn't see how visiting a friend is so terrible, that I don't."

"Maybe if you left us alone, it wouldn't be so terrible!"

"Why are you so adamant about keeping this one away?"

"BECAUSE SHE'S MINE!"

The shouting continued until Tomoe finally had enough. "STOP IT!"

Both men suddenly went silent. "I do not need nor do I appreciate grown men that act like children when I spend time with people other than them!" she protested. However, in that cold wintery air, she found herself suddenly tired and out of breath. She coughed. Though neither of the men considered her single cough to be significant, she noticed in her palm something that she hoped she would never see again. Blood.


End file.
